Author: News Room

The Kwara State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting oral hygiene as part of overall healthcare, marking the 2026 World Oral Health Day. In a statement issued on Thursday by the Press Secretary, Ministry of Health, Saad Hamdalat, and sighted by PUNCH Online in Ilorin, the government said the observance aims to raise awareness about the importance of oral health and encourage healthy habits among residents. Speaking at the event in Ilorin, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina Ahmed El-Imam, represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Oluwatosin Fakayode, highlighted the global scale of oral health challenges.…

Heavyweight boxing champion, Oleksandr Usyk, has backed Anthony Joshua to defeat Tyson Fury in a potential all-British heavyweight showdown, revealing he has been helping his former rival prepare both tactically and mentally. Joshua is set to return to the ring on July 25 against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, with a long-anticipated clash against Fury expected later in the year. In recent months, the 36-year-old has spent time training alongside Usyk in Spain and Ukraine, building a close working relationship with the undefeated Ukrainian champion. Speaking about the possible bout, Usyk told BBC Sport on Saturday, “In my opinion, if AJ…

Olamide Raheeda Okoya, daughter of business mogul, Chief Razaq Okoya,and his wife, Folashade Okoya,has married Imran Saro Gobir in an introduction and Nikkah ceremony in Lagos on Saturday. Photos from the events, shared via Facebook, showed the couple in the company of family members and dignitaries who graced the occasion. Credit: Facebook | Queen and Powerful Women The wedding came shortly after both families announced the engagement on Friday via Instagram, with Shade Okoya describing the moment as one “defined by grace and significance.” Credit: Facebook | Queen and Powerful Women Chief Razaq Okoya is a prominent Lagos industrialist and…

Stakeholders in the education sector have renewed calls for teachers to be placed at the centre of national development, stressing that meaningful reform in the education system cannot be achieved without sustained investment in teachers’ welfare, motivation, and professional development. The call was made on Friday in Abuja at the Let There Be Teachers Conference 2026, which brought together education stakeholders, government representatives, and development partners under the theme ‘From Record to Reform: A National HOPE Attempt for Teachers.’ The conference was organised with support from the Federal Ministry of Education. The Convener of the conference, Oluwaseyi Anifowose, said the…

Africa’s ability to benefit fully from artificial intelligence could be undermined by fragmented data governance frameworks across the continent, according to Microsoft, which warned that inconsistent rules on data sharing and cross-border flows risk slowing innovation and limiting economic gains. Government Affairs Director at Microsoft, Akua Gyekye, said Africa’s digital future will be shaped not only by how quickly AI technologies spread but also by how deliberately countries govern and share the data that powers them. Across the continent, governments and businesses are increasingly adopting emerging technologies to support economic growth and improve public service delivery, supported by expanding digital…

In this interview with UTHMAN SALAMI, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, addresses pressing environmental challenges, including the planned $48m waterworks rehabilitation project, waste management and air pollution in the state Some 2025 reports raised concerns about the quality of water supply in parts of Lagos Island, including Itafaji, Onola, and Adeniji Adele, noting that though the water may appear clean, it could contain hidden contaminants. What is your reaction to that? In our waterworks, namely Iju, Shasi, and Adiyan, it bears stating that the capacity may not be enough to serve the entire state…

The US Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution banning its members and staff, who are often exposed to sensitive information, from using prediction markets.The resolution, passed by unanimous consent, changed the Senate’s rules and took immediate effect. “Engaging in any way in a prediction market or trying to place bets where we might have inside information deteriorates the confidence that our constituents have in us,” Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, who introduced the resolution, said on the Senate floor.“By changing the standing rules of the Senate, what we’re doing is allowing our constituents to know, once and for all, that no…

AEW star Tanea Brooks has been diagnosed with ALS. “OK, there’s an update and hold on because there is a plot twist,” Brooks, 47, said in a Friday, May 1, Instagram video. “First, I want to say thank you for all of your prayers because, for those who know, it’s been a two-year medical journey trying to find out what is wrong. Finally, our prayers have been answered.” She continued, “The thing is, sometimes we don’t want to hear that answer to our prayers. And so, while I was waiting to have lung surgery for the masses on my lung,…

The member representing Yagba East/Yagba West/Mopamuro Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, has announced his exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing protracted internal crises, legal disputes, leadership uncertainty and what he described as deliberate efforts to frustrate his political ambition. Mr Abejide, a two-term lawmaker elected on the platform of the ADC, disclosed his decision at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, but did not name the party he intends to join. Addressing journalists, the lawmaker described his departure as painful but unavoidable. “It is a painful decision but necessary to…

The Osun State Police Command has dismissed reports of an alleged assassination attempt on Adebayo Adeleke, aka B-Red, son of Governor Ademola Adeleke. The police described the report as false, unverified, and capable of causing unnecessary panic among members of the public. The state government had earlier, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, announced that B-Red escaped an assassination attempt at Oke-Fia in Osogbo on Wednesday. However, reacting to enquiries, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, refuted the claim and provided details of the reported incident. “The Osun State Police…